Cushioning device.



Mama.

C. I. JACOBSON 84 A. L. FOWLER.

CUSHIONING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR'.14. 1914.

Patented May16,1916.

Lee

ll. JACGIBSDN AND ALFRED L. FQVILEJRJ, 0h L03 ANGEL-ES, CALIFORNIA.

CUSHIONING DEVICE.

Patented arra is, rare.

Application filed March 14, 19M. $eria1l o. 824,714.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CARL I. JAGOBSON, asubject of the King of Norway, and ALFRED L. FowLnn, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles andState of California, have jointly invented new and useful Improvementsin Cushioning Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cushioning devices whereby shock or jarincident to sudden or violent movement, resultant upon ar or blow, maybe neutralized; and the inven-' tion has for its object to provide suchan improved cushioning device which will be adaptable to a WlClQ rangeof uses and service in connection "with a wide range of apparatus,mechanism and devices to which it may be applied for use or with whichit may be associated.

The invention has for further objects the provision of such a cushioningdevice which not only will neutralize the jar or shock incident to firstmovement but will likewise cushion the jar or shock incident to themovement of reaction or the'return movement. Cushioning devices aspreviously devised have aimed merely to correct the disturbancesincident to the initial resultant \movement, and have failed toneutralize or ofi'set or counteract the disturbances resulting from thereturn or reaction movement.

lhe invention is particularly adapted for use in connection withvehicles such as antomobiles, and provides an efiective support forvehicle bodies, in which capacity it-likewise performs its function of acushioning device. The adaptability of the invention, however, to manyother purposes, will be manifest from consideration of its broad andgeneral aspects of utility.

In practising the invention we utilize two cushioning means or media,such as a spring or springs and compressed air, the action of one ofwhich is more immediately responsive to disturbed conditions and theaction of the other of which is subsequently elfective and completes thecushioning. The compression of the air is automatically produced and thecushion of compressed air is automatically dissipated after it has beenutilized; and the spring preferably constitutes the normally effectivecushioning agency.

"With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination,association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, allas hereinafter described, shown in the drawing and finally pointed outin claims.

In the -drawinf r: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of anautomobile body and rear construction illustrating the invention asapplied thereto both as a body support and cushioning device; and, Fig.2 is an enlarged fragmentarv sectional view of a portion of the vehicleshowing the cushioning device more in detail, the rear aXle of thevehicle being shown as disposed directly beneath the cushioning device,whereas the latter serves as a directly applied and acting support aswell as cushioning device.

Corresponding parts in both figures are designated by the same referencecharacters.

Referring with particularity to the drawing, the improved cushioningdevice therein shown comprises, in the specific construction andorganization represented, a piston A which has a working fit within acylinder B, the piston adapted to be connected, as by the piston orconnecting rod 8 with the vehicle axle 4:, either directly, as .shown inFig. 2, or through the medium ofa lever arm or the like 5 with which atone end the piston rod 8 is connected, such lever arm beingintermediately fulcrumed as at 6, and having its other end pivotallyconnected with the frame 7 of the vehicle, by a ivoted carrying plate 8.This statement is made with respect to the application of the cushioningdevice as a vehicle body support; and it is to be understood that thepiston rod 3 may be connected with any suitable support or device; thecylinder B likewise being connected with any other suitable device orthing, being shown in the drawing as connected with the vehicle body 7The piston in its travel within the cylinder is adapted to play over twoports or series of ports, 9 and 10, formed each in only one zone in thewalls of the cylinder and spaced apart, the normal position of thepiston being between said ports or series of ports; and said piston inits travel being adapted to cover either one or the other of said portspassed upwardly through a suitable opening in the bottom of the body anda flange 15 upon the cylinder abutting against the bottom of the bodyand being bolted thereto as at 16.

It will be understood that with the use of the lever 5 shown applied tothe rear axle .t and connecting the piston rod 3 with the supportingplate 8, in pivotal couple, the degree of play of the piston within thecylinder may be regulated, and the dimensions or gage of the spring 11varied in accordance with the length of the lever 5 at each side of itsfulcrum. In other words, the closer the fulcrum 6 approaches thesupporting plate 8, which is linked to the piston,

the greater will the play on the piston be for any given disturbance andtherefore the greater the resultant compression action of the spring, sothat a spring of greater length but less gage stock may be substitutedat each step of approach of the fulcrum 6 toward the supporting plate 8.In its broad aspects, however, the invention is not concernedspecifically in application to road vehicles, in which it will be notedfrom the above description and drawing that it serves both as a bodysupport and a cushioning device; but the invention is adapted to a widerange of uses in connection with counteracting disturbances of stabilityof many sorts.

In its specific action, the cushioning de vice involves the joint actionof the piston A upon the air imprisoned in either end of the cylinderand of the spring. Or, the cushioning action of the spring andcompressed air may be applied upon movement of the piston in only onedirection, and the cushioning action of compressed air may be solelydepended upon in the movement of the piston in the other direction, asindi cated in the full-line showing in the drawing. However, the spring11 may be duplicated at the other side of the piston A, as indicated indotted lines, whereupon there will be a resisting action of both springand compressed air in the movement of the piston in each direction, sothat both the initial and reactive, movements or rebound movements dueto disturbance of stability will be counter-acted or opposed orneutralized by both spring action and compressed air action.

is counter-acted by the spring alone; but

When the piston A has traveled sufliciently, responsive to a disturbancesuch as the jar imparted by the passage of the vehicle over obstacles inthe roadway so that the piston has closed and passed one of the ports orseries of ports 9, compression of the air imprisoned by the piston inthe respective end of the cylinder at once takes place. Prior to suchcompression, the jar or shock when such compression commences theresultant air cushion acts in an auxiliary capacity and supplements thespring action. Immediately upon complete counter-acting of thedisturbance to the extent that the initial piston travel has beenterminated, a reaction or rebound will be effected, due to thecompression of the spring and of the air. The piston will thereforeexecute a return movement, passing the port 9 or 10 and allowing the aircushion behind the piston to be dissipated, and will close and pass theother port 9 or 10 imprisoning the air at the corresponding end of thecylinder and producing a reactive cushioning action similar to thatfirst set up, supplemented by the cushioning action of the spring 11 ifit be deflected to that end of the cylinder. This second cushioning orcurbing action will be followed by such further alternately oppositemovements of the piston and the accompanying counter-balancing andcushioning actions as may be necessary to finally and completely correctthe disturbances originally set up; whereupon the piston will haveassumed its normal position intermediate of the ports 9 and 10. Thefinal correcting or cushioning action will ordinarily be caused byslight flexion of the spring or springs 11 without any participation ofthe piston in air compression.

It is manifest that many variations and substitutions may be made inadapting the invention to difi'erent conditions of use and service, allwithout departing from a fair 11C interpretation of the invention.

Having thus disclosed our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. A cushioning device, comprising a cylinder, a piston within thecylinder, and a spring always opposing movement of the piston in thecylinder in one direction; there being spaced ports in only two zones inthe cylinder for admission of air thereto for compression by the pistonat opposite ends cylinder for admission of air thereto for names to thisspecification in the presence of compression by the piston at oppositeends two subscribing Witnesses.

of the cylinder and controlled by movements CARL I. JACOBSON. of thepiston; the normal position of said ALFRED L. FOWLER. 5 piston beingbetween said ports and one of Witnesses:

said ports being always open. ALFRED H. DUEHLER, In testimony whereof,We have signed our D. M. CUMMINGS.

copies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Goinmiseiomer ofl Eetento, Washington, I). U.

